Flesh
by Jordan Madz
Summary: Zoey's departure has broken Rythian and, in a desperate attempt to get her back, he acts on a request from far in the past. (Based during the Blackrock Rising timeline)


_"We'll get this place up running and then we can work on alchemy and..."_

_The boy paused suddenly with an odd look on his face. The red-haired girl watched him, smiling amiably as her companion struggled to speak._

_"Er, and what about you? I suppose you want to get your mushroom thing going again."_

_"Mushrooms, my mushrooms! Yeah, that's what I want to do."_

_The boy nodded and ran his hand through his messy, brown hair. It was obvious that he wasn't used to working with other people, but the girl appreciated him trying. _

_"How does that even work? Do you use bonemeal, like with crops?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. _

_"That's the fun part," She said with a wink, "we get to kill skeletons and take their flesh!"_

_"I don't think skeletons have flesh, Zoey." The boy laughed for the first time since they'd met, proving that he did have at least a little bit of a sense of humor._

_"...can we take someone's flesh anyway?" She asked with a grin, wanting to hear him laugh again._

_"Uh, no...er, well, we can take Sjin's flesh." _

_"Sounds good!"_

_They laughed together as they continued working on their temporary mud-hut._

_x X x_

This wasn't what she had wanted. It was all a joke, something to break the ice with the person she would be living with. She had rememered it as the day that they started their adventure together...the question had been their first inside joke. Now she struggled to take in the scene before her, struggled to comprehend what Rythian was telling her to do. He was staring at her with a fierce question in his eyes; Was she going to do it? Shadows hung on his face, and his eyes seemed sunken and wild.

"You're going to help me...aren't you?"

"I d-don't understand..." She stammered, even though she knew fully well what he was asking.

But the Dark Mage didn't seem to even hear her. He paced back and worth for a few seconds, but his movements were shaky. How long had he been sinking into this...this depression without her knowing? Guilt threatened to swamp her as she began to wonder if it was her fault. She claimed to be so close to Rythian, his best friend or maybe even something more, but she had been clueless as to his mental decline. Was her departure what had triggered it? When she returned the castle had been in an awful state of disrepair and Rythian had seemed tired and broken. She hadn't apologized, just waltzed in and tried to pretend like nothing had happened.

Muffled, panicky sounds broke through the heavy silence as Rythian stepped over the lab table again. Sweat rolled down his captives face, eyes stretched wide with disbelief and terror. Earlier his bearded face had sneered up at them, thinking that it was all some huge joke meant to scare him into backing off. Zoey had thought the same, and they were equally surprised when Rythian had made the first incisions. The idea was so ludicrous that Zoey almost laughed, but then the sound caught in her throat and she struggled not to gag openly.

"Hush now, Sjin. You're only getting what you deserve. Think of it this way; It might be painful, but we're preventing anymore lives from being lost to you're silly wars."

Rythian's voice sounded almost gentle, and that left a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. He sounded completely insane. Nevermind the fact that it was more of his war than Sjin's or Lalna's. The dark-haired mage was the one who insisted so adamantly on getting revenge, while his "enemies" were only violent on a whim. They probably could have lived in a relatively peaceful way if Rythian hadn't provoked them so much. Doubts rung heavy on her mind, but she didn't dare to contradict him. What if he turned this crazy hate onto her? More guilt churned in her belly as she realized her selfishness in leaving Sjin to bear Rythian's insanity alone. She had to do something to stop this.

"Rythian, stop!" She finally cried out, starting to tremble.

"What?" The answering voice didn't sound like her Endermage.

Frozen in place, she struggled not to flinch as Rythian turned his dark purple gaze on her. His pupils were narrow and she could have sworn she saw flecks of end particles swirling in the corner of his eyes. After a second of tense eye contact, Zoey backed down and glanced to the floor. Confusion had swam in his wide eyes, like he couldn't understand why she would object. But she _had_ objected, and there was no going back now. She could stare at her feet all she wanted, but Rythian would only question her or continue with his gruesome plan, so she had no choice but to look up again and stare firmly back at him.

"I said stop." Her voice threatened to crack, but her mouth curved stubbornly.

The dark mage didn't answer right away, he didn't even move. Zoey could see that there _were_ particles floating around his eyes, and it only added to the cold sensation running down her spine. It occurred to her thay she didn't even know the full extent of Rythian's powers or how much he was tied to the End...and it took all of her power not to shudder in fear. With him seeming so unstable, was there really anything stopping him from killing her and continuing to skin Sjin alive?

"But I'm doing this for you." He sounded so hurt, looking genuinely puzzled.

"Why on Earth would I want this?" Zoey choked back, anger hinting in her sob.

"Because you wanted Sjin's flesh." His simple answer only filled her with more dread.

She shook her head helplessly, not knowing what to say. Rythian was obviously beyond reason if he had interpreted her joke as a serious request. He couldn't see the absurdity in his logic. Zoey felt her breathing grow heavy as she started hyperventilating, her panic growing with every second that passed. Movement just behind Rythian caused Zoey to glance away, and she focused on Sjin, who was struggling again. His wide eyes met hers for a few heartbeats and they begged her helplessly. It dawned on her that really was the only one who could stop Rythian from doing something he'd regret whe-if he recovered.

"No. No, I didn't," Rythian looked like he wanted to protest, but she continued strongly, "That was all a joke. Don't you remember, Rythian? What happened to you?"

Her last words came out more softly and she stared at him with pity and grief swirling in her blue eyes. This seemed to shake him slightly and his voice faltered when he finally made his rebuttal.

"She left me. She didn't even say goodbye." His words came out hollow and his eyes turned round and distant, it took Zoey a minute to realize that he was talking about _her_, "I thought that I could live without her, because I had before, you know? But I couldn't. I needed her. I missed her. I..."

He stopped suddenly and violently shook his head, as if there was a part of him somewhere that understood that something was wrong and was trying desperately to make itself known. When he looked up his eyes were still lost, but his voice carried just the slightest hint of...reason.

"I thought back and I remembered flesh. She wanted flesh, Sjin's flesh-"

"Can't you remember? That was our joke, because skeletons don't have flesh." Zoey broke in quietly, feeling like she might actually be getting through to him.

"Yes. You thought they did have flesh." He responded just as softly.

He was blinking slowly, and the End particles seemed to be dissolving before her eyes. Taking a risk, she reached out to touch his arm gently. Rythian recoiled slightly and then stared at her hand as if he didn't know who's it was. After a second he looked up at her, and seemed to really see her for the first time since this whole thing started. Tears welled up in the corners of Zoey's eyes, and concern flashed across his face. This brought out a full on sob and he stood awkwardly for a second before putting an arm over her shoulder in comfort.

"Are you back?" The red head murmured after a moment.

"I didn't mean to leave. I've done something awful, haven't I?" He asked, his voice barely loud enough to be heard.

But it was his voice, deep and dark, and about as monotone as one could get. He didn't have the slightest idea what had gone on in the minutes before, but Zoey didn't care. In these moments he was her Rythian once again, and she didn't want to push him over the edge again.

"No...you stopped yourself. Come on, we...we should leave." A sudden stab of panic filled her and she ushered him towards the door before he could see Sjin and snap again.

Rythian's poor captive had fallen deathly silent, and she prayed that it was of his own accord and not something worse. She led the shaky mage up the stairs and into the daylight. They both blinked as their eyes adjusted and were met by a very anxious Teep. Sips was nowhere to be found, and judging by the way Teep's eyes darted around, Zoey could guess that he had gone to find someone to help them get into the bunker where Rythian had holed himself up. Which meant she had to get Rythian back to Blackrock quickly, before someone or something set him off again.

"Teep, can you take Rythian back home?" Zoey asked with a careful glance at him.

The mute dinosaur seemed to understand her, because he nodded deeply. She had to make sure Sjin was okay and get him back to Sjips co. and she didn't dare try to do that with an unstable Rythian in tow. She waited until the two figures had retreated a good distance, with Rythian glancing back once or twice, and then hurried back down the steps. There wasn't much blood, but the scent was still revolting to her. Hesitating for a few seconds with her hand wavering just over his shoulder, she stared desperately for any signs that he was still breathing.

"Sjin...?"

"I...is he gone?" The shaky voice brought relief crashing down on her.

"Teep is taking him home." Zoey responded, tears running down her face freely now.

Sjin only grunted in response and then let her help him to his feet. His left arm was wrapped in bandages and dried blood stuck out like a sore thumb against his paled skin. Pity and guilt coursed through her as she let him lean on her heavily, his entire body shaking violently. This man had once been her enemy, he had helped destroy the Old World and even kidnapped Teep, but this was a horror she wouldn't have wished upon anyone. It took her a while to lead him out of the bunker and back in the direction of Sjips co., but luckily they met a returning Sips on the way back. Nilesy was close behind him, fear written all over his face. The two of them stared at her as if they didn't really know her. Sips looked more torn than the poolboy; part of him looked like he wanted to thank her for getting Sjin out alive...but she could also see the doubt shadowed behind that. Because, after all, part of this was her fault.

"I'm so sorry." The whispered apology was all she could manage to say.

Sips just stared at her for a long time before answering, "We'll talk about this later."

They turned, one supporting either side of the traumatized Sjin, and left without another word. Zoey felt more stinging tears run down her face, her heart tightening as it was racked with pain. The gravity of the situation she had just endured weighed her down and made her breath come in short gasps. Blue eyes fixed on the distant figure of home, her thoughts flew back to Rythian. He was safe from his madness now...but how would their lives be affected by his monstrous actions?

**_A/N: It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but hopefully some Blackrock will get me back into the swing of things. Perhaps a second chapter if I get a couple reviews...? I'd love some feedback on how I can improve._**


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